Germany - Poland – Visit by Laurence Boone, Minister of State for Europe (11-12 May 2023)

Laurence Boone, Minister of State for Europe, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, traveled to Berlin yesterday to meet with her German counterpart, Minister of State for Europe and Climate Anna Lührmann. The two ministers received an update from the members of the French-German working group of experts on EU institutional reforms, which was established following the Franco-German Council of Ministers on January 23. Ms. Boone and Ms. Lührmann then traveled to the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) for a discussion with students on French and German perspectives on the future of Europe, as part of Viadrina’s Europe Week.

Today Ms. Boone and her German colleague are traveling to Poznań, Poland, for a Weimar format meeting with their Polish counterpart, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk. The three European affairs ministers will discuss Europe’s united stance on support for Ukraine amid Russia’s war of aggression. To mark Europe’s solidarity with Ukraine, the ministers invited Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, to join this Weimar Triangle meeting for the first time. Issues related to EU enlargement and institutional reforms are also on the agenda.